London Film Festival was great, as was Kevin Smith chatting away at the Indigo 02
London Film Festival was great, as was Kevin Smith chatting away at the Indigo 02
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How do remake a film that has possibly the biggest cult following of any horror film? How do you make a film that can beat, or even live up to, the realism, the darkness, the down and dirt style of the original?
I'm not a great horror film fan, I find most of them just ply the same old plot structure and just don't even bother to try and do anything original. They invariably end up falling flat on their face most of the time, trying too hard to scare by shocking you, which can work with a good story behind it, but is generally nowhere near as good as a film that tries to scare the viewer by building tension and shocking you with surprise rather than just gore and blood. TCM is pretty much everything I dislike in a horror film, nothing more than hack and slash and teenagers in trouble getting hunted down by a maniac. So while I will watch pretty much anything on the big screen why would I take the time to watch this on DVD? I'll get to that later!
TCM is set in 1973, 5 young twenty somethings are travelling across the country to get to a concert. On their way they pick up a young woman walking listlessly down the road. She tells them that they are all going to die, that he will kill
them all! They find themselves out in the middle of rural Texas, Travis County being terrorised by the maniacal Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding killer.
There really is no need for any more of the plot than that, that is pretty much it, much like most slasher horror movies! Plot is generally incidental in any film of this genre, all is needed is a supply of victims and a way of getting them to the killer/killers. Once this is done it is just a case of who is going to die next and who, if anyone, will survive!
So the question is is there anything good about this remake at all? Well yes there are a few things that make it worth watching. Once things start TCM moves at a furious pace, it doesn't slow down at all, giving you no time to sit back and think about what is happening. Keeping you on the back foot all the time, catching you as it throws one thing after another at you, a good horror needs this to help you suspend disbelief. Another storyline plus is that you don't get the WTF factor with it at any time (ie. The main characters do something really, really stupid and you go 'what the feck' are you doing!). You cant say they actually did anything you wouldn't have contemplated yourself in their position. Thirdly R. Lee Ermey is absolutely perfect, a dream piece of casting, as the local sheriff. A performance that completely overshadows all the main characters, in fact so much so I would almost recommend the film just for seeing him in action!
Other than that… well for me there was no tension or excitement at any time, there were no big shocks at all in it, nothing made me jump at all, with one exception right near the end and by then it was too late. For me horror should be all about getting you on the edge of your seats, keeping you worrying about the next thing that will scare the living daylights out of you while you bite your nails!
Part of the problem is that while the acting is okay, that is it, none of the 'victims' really stand out at all. It could be because the script invests very little time in making you like the main characters, or even knowing anything about them, hence you don't really care what happens to them. This is shown by tthe fact that even know most of the main cast still have not done anything of note. Jessica Biel being the only person to be well known now. The others have all vanished into TV land or obscure films! The direction is the same as well, it does the job but doesn't really grab you, does nothing special or interesting, it is just there and that is it. In fact that is the film as a whole… okay but nothing to talk about. I wouldn't have any inclination at all to see it again at all but didn't really dislike it enough to really slag it off, maybe that is because I don't really like this genre of film but it did hold my attention enough that I didn't completely lose interest in it at any time.
I guess when it comes down to it I like my horror to be a little bit more than run, scream, hide, bleed and die. I like a bit more than the visceral thrill and terror, I like a bit of tension and to be scared of what could happen next. TCM doesn't do that at any time at all as far as I am concerned, not that I really expected it to… as to why I decided to watch this on DVD, well it comes from a chat about laughing at bits in horror films you shouldn't laugh at with Salem_Witch. She said she found bits of this funny and I had to see if I agreed……… and yes I did! DVD Extras
3 Commentaries: One from the Production team, one from the technical side and the third from the story side with writer, director, producers and 4 of the main cast. Photo Gallery: Pictures and sketches of Leatherface, which was completely pointless Alternate Opening & closing scene: Interesting but not a patch on what they did actually use. They were certainly right to use those in place of these. TCM - Redux: A documentary on the remaking of TCM. All about the original, the casting, location et al. I don't normally like these but this was actually very interesting. Deleted Scenes, alternates scenes and 3 screen tests. TV Spots: 7 short tv ads that promoted the film. Kind of interesting in the way they show how the makers wanted to sell the film to an audience Severed Parts: A documentary about the deleted bits from the film. Ed Gein Documentary: The story of the real life serial killer who inspired the original TCM movie.
Starring: Jessica Biel, Eric Balfour, Jonathan tucker, Mike Vogel, Erica Leerhsen, R. Lee Ermey.
Pictures of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (DVD)
Most of the main cast
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Production Year: 1995 - Horror - Director: Bill Condon - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, Timothy Carhart, Veronica Cartwright
Totally agree with you. It was a really lacklustre offering. The scene's with the sheriff, particularly in the car were the only good ones. The only WTF moment I had was why did they bother with all that extended family stuff in the bar (I think). It was just so garbled and pointless.
baby_uk 29.04.2006 00:42
The ending of this made me jump!!
tekin21 25.04.2006 23:01
The remake is no match for the original as far as I am concerned. Jane x
The 2003 version ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreadheres to the pure-and-simple slasher-movie ... more
formula: introduce a gaggle of sexy young people, make vague gestures to distinguish them--Jessica Biel wants to get married and doesn't like pot, so she's our m...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
On August 20th, 1973, police were dispatched to the remote farmhouse of Thomas Hewitt, in ... more
Travis County, Texas. What they found within the confines of his cryptic residence was the butchered remains of 33 human victims, a chilling discovery that shocke...
The 2003 version ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreadheres to the pure-and-simple slasher-movie ... more
formula: introduce a gaggle of sexy young people, make vague gestures to distinguish them--Jessica Biel wants to get married and doesn't like pot, so she's our m...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
On August 20th 1973 police were dispatched to the remote farmhouse of Thomas Hewitt a ... more
former head-skinner at a local slaughterhouse in Travis County Texas. What they found within the confines of his cryptic residence was the butchered remains of 33 ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Alright plot, one decent replication of one of Hooper's techniques, some decent gore. Disadvantages: The original film isn't known for good acting, believable characters, glossy direction, etc...
Advantages: Colours are richer and crisper, the music is truely UNIQUE! Disadvantages: storyline is basic but typical of that era, movie is short lived
![The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78516066.jpg "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [DVD] [2003]")
Apr 15th, 2006
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